So last time I updated my blog I was leaving for a flight to Guangzhou, which Matt and I arrived safely with none of the hassel that we had previously experienced in Sanya.

First impressions of Guangzhou was that it was more western than most of the other cities that we had been in China. The place is also known as Canton and is where apparently most of our Chinese food from the West comes from. After a long lie in Matt and I decided to explore the city, we went to Shamian island which is where all the British and French stayed when they came to China, they weren't allowed to leave and the Chinese weren't allowed to enter so very European style of builings were present which was not normal to what we were used to, although it is a stone throw away from mainland. Also on the main bank there was a large market, which we'd been told had rather disguisting factors in the meat market. We weren't impressed, not because it was sooooo disguisting but because it didn't compare to anything that we had previously seen. We were more intriged by the spice stalls that left your nose tingling as you walked passed. Also we attempted, in vein to go to a temple. Although we eventually after much walking did discover the temple, hidden deep within a run down part of the town, it was closed by the time we reached it.

Of back to Hong Kong the next day, we managed to get a train straight there (turns out only after arriving back in Guangzhou that this is not the cheapest way) and to the same hostel that I stayed at previously going to Hong Kong. In previous blogs on Hong Kong, i said that i would not wish to return to this place, however visas said other wise, and we were only staying the duration of time that we needed to secure visas to re-enter mainland China. First day wandering round, we bumped into Anna (old flat mate from Changsha) Jamie (a girl we met in beijing) and another Matt (also bejing guy) walking in the street. Down to the light show, avenue of stars and the night market, then of to bed.

Early planned start, to get visas started, and then to Victoria park and for the second time in Hong Kong I went to the cinema. Matt and I planned to do hong kong as cheap as possible, because I had already been and Matt was planning to return to with a friend later in the year. The only thing that we were allowing money to be spent on was the cinema, since the last time i went was in october, when i was in hong kong. This time I went to see Avatar in 3d, my first 3d film, and worth it, except very lenghty. Walked around times square and back to the hostel. Since on the cheap we went to the space musuem the next day, which with our student id's (mine was technically in date, matt's out of date by a whole year) was only 5yuan :) glad we didnt spend more on it, wasn't worth it, very out of date and alot of the activities were broken. Back to the hostel and got drunk on a cheap bottle of whisky with one of the other girls in our room who had been in Oz for 2 years and was finally on her way home.

Helen!!! she arrive the next day and we headed once again to another musuem, the art musum, much better than the space one, but the same price :) and then back to the hostel, to discover that Dani (Oz girl) had not handed her room key in (silly girl) and so we did the nice thing and did it for her, and got her $100 deposit so she paid for dinner, thank you Dani :D Helen had traveled from Shenyang on a 36 hour train journey so wasn't up for much that night so early night, she is also returning to hong kong later in the year and was only here for a visa so didn't wanna spend to much money.

Matt and I the next day headed to 10,000 buddhas, a must see in my opinion, even better for the fact it was FREE!!! only the price of metro to get there. Matt and I accidentally ended up in a temple next to it, which was for placing the ashes of loved ones, we thought the 2 were connected, but there weren't. There really were 10,000 buddhas, actually 12,000 and they were still making more. We didn't count them, but some poor person previously (wikipedia) had and informed us of this fact. Out for dinner and Matt and I headed up Victoria peak. I'd been before, but during the day, much better at night and amazing views of the city.

Visa collection on monday morning and Matt and I headed back to Guangzhou awaiting Helen's return once she had recieved her visa the next day. Went to get train tickets whilst in Guangzhou, this is a must see experience, one that is not featured in the guide books. Matt described it as a refugee camp, with everyone setting up camp and queueing in the longest lines imaginable. Words can't describe this experience. Turns out you can only buy tickets here for that day, and the next day, with the amount of id's that you have with you. So Matt and I couldn't buy Helen's ticket for her trip. Our plan, although sounds slighty rediculous was to go to Chengdu. This is rediculous because it is nearly spring festival and everyone is traveling to the country side to be with there families, which turns out to be Chengdu. We could only get soft sleepers, about 250yuan more than the hard sleepers that we are used to traveling with.

Understandably Helen wasn't to impressed that we had booked tickets without her when we met her, but in our defense it was a rash decision made standing in a massive queue holding people up. Sooooooo I offered her my ticket and would get mine the next day and travel alone, as long as they didn't go to see the panda's without me. Turns out this wasn't gonna be the case and we got Helen a cheap flight to Chengdu - i say cheap, only 200yuan more than the 700 we had had to pay for the train.

6.00am Matt and I left for the train station, not as chaotic as it has been the previous day, however still more manic than one can imagine, for our 29 hour train journey and have arrived in Chengdu, blog from here will be updated when we have actually done stuff, till then and photos from previous expolartions will be added when I have the time